Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d be well aware of the fact that Donald Trump uses Twitter like it’s a bodily function. In fact, his excessive use has lead some to wonder whether or not the the current US President has ever had a thought the last few years that he didn’t share on the Internet.
However, as time has gone on, and as the relations between the United States and North Korea become ever more tense, many have called for Trump to be banned from Twitter for his inflammatory Tweeting style, claiming that his loose lips may be responsible for World War III.
However, despite the fact that Twitter has had somewhat of a crackdown on users who violate their terms of service, including those who promote hate speech and white supremacy, the service refuses to ban Donald Trump from their site.
But why? Considering the fact that as a world leader, Donald Trump’s online ramblings can result in some very real consequences for the world, you would think that the service would like to act in a way that preserves the best interests of the world. After all, Trump’s September Tweet in which he called Kim Jong Un “rocket man” saw North Korea consider this correspondence as a “declaration of war”. This is very real stuff.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
While Twitter has previously explained that they couldn’t remove a Tweet such as the above because it was deemed “newsworthy”, the service has now released a statement today in which they explain why they don’t ban “world leaders on Twitter”.
“There’s been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance,” the statement begins. “Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society.”
“Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.”
“We review Tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly,” it continues. “No one person’s account drives Twitter’s growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.”
“We are working to make Twitter the best place to see and freely discuss everything that matters. We believe that’s the best way to help our society make progress.”
Despite their refusal to mention Donald Trump by name, it’s rather obvious just who they’re talking about. But it really does make us wonder, when will Trump cross the increasingly unreachable line that Twitter have laid out? As the old phrase goes, “give him and inch, and he’ll take a mile”, so let’s make sure there are at least some restrictions placed upon Donald Trump’s (and of course, other world leaders, too) Twitter account.
